September 2019

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Dear STAY Project family, Happy fall! First off, we are thrilled to introduce y'all to our newest members of the STAY Project steering committee! With Ari Baker and Katelyn Damron finishing out their terms on the steering committee in November we are excited to welcome our newest steering committee members– Brad Harris, Nina Morgan, and Sav Miles who were elected to the steering committee by STAY Project members in August! Earlier this month the steering committee gathered at High Rocks Academy in Hillsboro, WV to reflect on the STAY Summer Institute and develop an action plan for 2020. We kicked off the weekend meeting and sharing a meal with other young people from Pocahontas County at our first "STAY for Dinner" potluck at the Yew Mountain Center. The Yew Mountain Center was awesome and it was so great to meet so many cool Hillsboro folks! The rest of the weekend was spent deepening our relationships with one another, making meals together, working hard on our vision and goals for the next year, and identifying next steps. Our meeting would not have been possible without having place to meet so we want to say a big thank you to High Rocks for letting us use their beautiful space! Finally, the registration for the Black Appalachian Young and Rising Gathering is now open!! If you are a young Black person between the ages of 14-30 who lives in Appalachia, make sure you get registered for this event that is designed by Black Appalachian youth for Black Appalachian youth! Learn more about and register for Black Appalachian Young and Rising here. Coming up this fall we have a lot going on, be sure to check out our calendar so you don't miss out on anything! solidarity & kinship, The STAY Project staff & steering committee Upcoming STAY Project Events! Y'all ready to shoot some hoops for a cause? Then join us on October 12th at Appalachia High School in Appalachia, VA for the 2019 STAY Fall Classic Benefit Basketball Tournament!  This fundraiser for the Black Appalachian Young and Rising Gathering starts at 9:00am and you can register a team for the tournament onlinehere or you can also sign up the day of! Facebook event page is here . We are excited to announce the first Black Appalachian Young and Rising Gathering November 8th-10th at the Pine Mountain Settlement School in Pine Mountain, KY. We hope you can join us for what promises to be a weekend full of fun, friendship, collective learning and growth. Registration will close Sunday, October 27th with a maximum of 60 attendees. Register here: http://bit.ly/blackappalachianyouth. If you have any questions about the gathering please feel free to reach out to Mekyah Davis at mekyahdavis.stayproject@gmail.com ***This event is a free event only for Black youth between the ages of 14-30 from throughout the Central and Southern Appalachian region- if you have any questions about this please feel free to reach out to us at stayproject@gmail.com**   There is a $10,000 goal to cover the event and to pay the Black youth who are doing the work to make it happen. STAY is asking you to invest in this important work by making a donation today.  Donate to support Black Futures in Appalachia In a time of crisis . . . ORGANIZE TO RESIST & BUILD You are already part of a growing movement force in the South, and we are proud to be connected to you and your community. Join the Southern Movement Assembly in 2019 We have gathered 7 times in the last 7 years. We come together to build connections, break isolation, analyze the situations we are facing, and create visions and strategies for liberation. The SMA8 is the eighth regional assembly since 2012, and we are excited to be anchored in Mississippi by Alternate ROOTS, Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative, Sipp Culture Center, and partners across the Deep South. For more information or to register for SMA 8 visit http://southtosouth.org/sma8/ Regional Happenings October 12th is the  2nd Annual Pikeville Pride--a day full of inclusion, affirmation, and lots of rainbows! Live music, drag entertainment, vendors, dancing, face painting, free hugs, free food, and so much more! Parking is available in downtown Pikeville on the street and in the parking garage located directly beside the city park. Join Appalachians Against Pipelines and the RAMPS Campaign for a weekend of workshops, discussions, storytelling and community as we celebrate the changing of the leaves at the beautiful Stanley Heirs Park on the edge of destruction. Appalachian organizers, community members, and college students will be camping together atop a protected mountaintop, surrounded by mountaintop removal mining, to share stories and skills and build community. We will discuss issues affecting Appalachian communities including mountaintop removal, pipelines, fracking, water, health, drug addiction, mass incarceration, colonization, local plants, direct action, community organizing, and more. This year, we're also excited to focus on the ongoing resistance to pipelines in Appalachia, including to the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast Pipelines — come on out to learn how all these struggles are connected! So come learn, share, meet likeminded people, camp, and have a good time! Food will be provided starting with dinner on Friday, all meals on Saturday and Sunday, and breakfast on Monday. Facebook event ishere. Southern Connected Communities Project has opened a Cyber Cafe in the Clearfork Valley! Need to print something? Have research to do?  Want to scroll the internet? Need to submit an application? Have a paper to write? Come see us at Clearfork Community Institute (the old Eagan School) Free services available; Scan, copy, print, and laptops Staff available for basic computer assistance  Coffee, lattes, cappuccino and snacks will be sold Beginning August 6, 2019 hours will be Tuesdays and Thursdays  9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call 423-784-0095 for more information Be a STAY Project Member! Wanna join the STAY Project? We’ve added a membership form to our website! If you are between the ages of 14-30 and living in Appalachia and want to be a member of the STAY Project, head on over to our membership page and fill out the form. If you are a current member go ahead and fill out the form to update your information. Come be a part of the movement for youth and by youth that is working towards a just, sustainable, and equitable Appalachia! Did y'all hear that STAY is now offering financial support to members who are organizing projects/events in their communities? We are able to offer up to $200 to support members’ projects that align with our mission and core beliefs. Specifically, we are hoping to support projects/events that further STAY’s work of providing space for young Appalachians to gather, learn with/from, create, and work together. To learn more and to request support, fill out this form! When you give to the STAY Project you are nourishing a grassroots movement by youth and for youth in Appalachia. We could not do our work without the support of a community that believes in us. Thank you for believing in us! Donate to the STAY Project! 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